Safety device for coiling machines



1937- J. F DONOVAN El AL 2,101,382

' SAFETY DEVICE FOR COILING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1936 4 Inventors:

John P. Donovan, GfiQfge I ||ihgw -th 'H V 1 Th if Attorney.

Patented Dec. 7, 1937 4 2,101,382

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f .SAF ETY DEVICE FOR- COILING MACHINES John F. Donovan and George Illingworth, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May '1, i936, Serial No. 78,385

' 5 Claims. (01.153-67) Our invention relates to apparatus for 0011- on the coiling head l8 which is fastened to the ing wire and more particularly to a device for shaft l3 and which is rotated thereby through detecting the interruption ofthe coiling operapulley l9, belt 20 and electric motor 2 The wire tion of said apparatus. Devices for this purpose l2 engages the. mandrel I at a point between'the 5 reduce the number of operators required to watch die l4 which is located in the coiling head I 8 and over a group of the coiling machines and they also the bridge pin 22 which is supported by said coilreduce the losses resulting from the longer ining head through yoke 23. The yoke 23 pivots active period of the machine, the longer time on pins 24 and 25 and is turned so thatthe bridge required by the operator to remove the loose wire pin 22 engages the mandrel and wire |2 coiled and the excessive amount of loose wire. v thereon by a spring (not s own) located be- 10 Our device is particularly sensitive and can be tween the coiling head l8 and the lower end of used with very fine wire such as used for the filathe yoke 23. v ments of electric incandescent lamps which is The mandrel II and wire coil |2 thereon pass usually coiled on a mandrel wire. According to from the coiling apparatus |0 onto the guide roll our invention two members are provided which 26, between the feeler rollers 21 and 28, between 15 engage the wire coil from opposite sides as it the holding rollers 29 and 30 and over the guide passes from the coiling apparatus. The memroll 3|. Rolls 26 and 3| are similar and are bers are pressed against the wire coil and move mounted on brackets 32 and 33 respectively which inwardly closer together when the wire coil no are attached to standard 34. Feeler roller 21 is longer passes therebetween due to a break or the attached to the bracket 35 extending from stand- 20 end of the wire being reached. A system of levers ard 34 and feeler roller 23 is attached to one arm attached to the members multiplies their-moveof lever 36 which is pivoted between the cone ment sufilciently to bring a pair of contacts conpointed ends of a screw 31 extending from bracket nected in an electrical circuit together. The con- 35 and a screw (not shown) extending from tacts complete the circuit which includes means standard 34. The other arm of lever 38 is con- 25 for shutting oi the driving motor for the coiling nected through link 38 to lever 39 which is pivapparatus andmeans for giving an alarm. The oted between the cone pointed ends of a screw lever system is adjusted so that the contacts 40 of bracket 4| and on ascrew (not shown) in the touch only when both members fall from the wire standard 34. Bracket 4| is attached to the standcoil as normally one member rides on the outerard 34. .A spring 42 which extends between posts 30 most portion of the coil and the other member lies in lever 39 and standard 34 pulls the system further inward and rides either on the sides of two of levers so that ieeler roller 28 squeezes the adjacent coils or on the mandrel. mandrel II and wire coil |2 between itself and Other features and advantages of our invenfeeler roller 21.

tion will appear from the description which fol- Should the coiling apparatus run out of the 35 lows of one species thereof and from the accomwire l2 or should the wire |2 break so that it is panying drawing. no longer coiled onto the mandrel ll, the feeler In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of rollers 21 and 28 will move closer together and the coil detecting device of our invention in comthe-contact 43 carried by lever 39 will be brought bination with coiling apparatus; and Fig. 2 is a against contact 44. Contact 44 is fixed and is 40 wiring diagram therefor with the parts of our mounted on the bracket 45 extending from standdevice and those of the coiling apparatus diaard 34. Contacts 43 and 44 are insulated from grammatically shown. the machine and are connected in 'a circuit in- J As shown in the drawing, our device is prefercluding switch 46 and the coil of the relay 41.'

45 ably combined with a coiling machine, being The circuit is connected to two of the leads of the 45 mounted adjacent the coiling apparatus I0 and three phase line and is made through the coil of being in position to intercept the mandrel H on relay 41 when a faulty mandrel II and wire coil |2 which the wire i2 is coiled as it leaves said apcombination passes between rollers 21 and 28. paratus. In the coiling machine the mandrel The armature 48 is pulled away from contact 49 50 passes from left to right, first through the hollow thereby breaking the circuit which includes switch 50 shaft l3 and the die H to the coiling position and 50 and the solenoid 5|. With this circuit open, then through the device of our invention. The the bars 52, 53, and 54 which connect the three wire I2 is carried on a spool l5 mounted on shaft phase line to the motor 2| are by mechanism (not l3 and passes over sheaves l6 and H to the shown) pulled away from their contact members 5 mandrel The sheaves l6 and H are mounted shutting off the motor 2|. If the circuit is com- 55 pleted through the armature of relay .41, the solenoid 5| will move the armature so that the bars '52, i3, and 54 complete the circuit to the motor 2|. Switch it permits the missing coil detecting device to be disconnected so that the motor 2| can be operated while threading up the machine, etc. Switch 50 is the starting switch for the motor 2| as it causes the bars. 52, 53 and 54 to be moved into position. Lamp 56 is connected in the circuit operated by the missing coil detecting device and serves as a warning light. v

The wire I! coiled onto the mandrel H is likely to unwind for a considerable distance if the loose end is free to twist. rollers 21 and 18 hold the wire I! in place until the end passes from between them whereupon rollers 28 and 30 hold said wire l2 until the motor stops. Roller 29 is attached to the standard 84 but roller 30 is mounted on a block 51 slidably mounted in said standard. A spring 58 located between block 51 and block 59 keeps the roller 30 up against the mandrel and wire. Block I! is attached to standard 34 and block 51 is kept within its ways in standard 34 by plate 60.

What we claiam as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for coiling a wire, driving means for said coiling means, two members mounted adjacent said coiling means and adapted to engage the wire coil from opposite sides as it is produced, means for moving one of said members toward the other so that both of said members are pressed against the wire coil, means for causing the driving means to be inoperative when the members pass from the wire coil and are moved closer together on failure of the coiling operation and means located adjacent the two members and engaging the wire coil passing therefrom for keeping the wire coil from unwinding after the end of said wire coil passes therethrough.

2. In an apparatusof the class described, the combination of means for coiling a wire, driving P means for said coiling means, two members mounted adjacent said coiling means and adapted to engage the wire coil from opposite sides as it is produced, means for moving one of said members toward the other so that both of said members are pressed against the wire coil, a system of levers connected to the movable member To avoid this the feeler for amplifying the movements thereof, a pair of contacts, one attached to said system of levers and the other mounted stationarily adjacent thereto, and an electrical circuit including said contacts, means for causing an alarm and means for causing the driving means to become inoperative which is completed by movement of the contacts into engagement with each other when the members pass from the wire coil and are moved closer together on failure of the coiling operation.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for coiling a wire, a pair of rollers, means for urging one of said rollers toward the other, means for feeding the coiled wire between said rollers, and means operable upon movement of said one roller toward the other roller due to absence of the coiled wire therebetween for rendering the said coiling means inactive.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for coiling a wire, a pair of rollers, means for urging one of said rollers toward the other, means for feeding the coiled wire between said rollers, means operable upon movement of said one roller toward the other roller due to absence of the coiled wire therebetween for rendering the said coiling means inactive, and means for simultaneously causing an alarm signal to be given.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for feeding a mandrel and for coiling a wire around said mandrel, a pair of rollers located in the path of the coil on its mandrel so that said coil and mandrel are fed therebetween, means for urging one of said rollers toward the other, a second pair of rollers located adjacent to said first pair of rollers in the direction of travel of said coil and mandrel, and means operable upon movement of the said one of the first-mentioned pair of rollers toward the other roller due to absence of coiled wire on the mandrel for rendering the said mandrel feeding means inactive, said second-mentioned pair of rollers remaining in contact with the said coil on its mandrel until said mandrel feeding means has come to a stop to prevent the said coil from unwinding from said mandrel.

JOHN F. DONOVAN. GEORGE ILLINGWORTH. 

